Apparel belt



. March 7, 1950 G. N. BoLlNGER APPAREL BELT Filed April 8, 1947 /nvenfor George N. Bolnqer AHornev Patented Mar. 7, 1950 UNITED STATES TENT FFHCE 1. Claim.

The present invention -relates generally `to the apparel art and is moreparticularly directed to animproved beltvof the type adapted to be worn about the lwaist for-thepurpose of supporting or restraining articles -of clothing of the wearer or for` ornamentation effect.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a belt formed of Ya plurality of -strands of helically Wound strip material, the width of the various convolutions of the coils-relative to the maximum width of the spaces therebetween as determined by the degree Vof elasticity of the coils being such that the individualcoils Awill not become interlockedundernormal usage,` thereby obviating the employment offadditional spacer elements or other connecting means between the strands.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide a belt of the general type described formed substantially entirely of a synthetic plastic material, thereby permitting a practically unlimited choice of colors or ,color combinations and at the same time effecting a slenderizing apearance and comfortable, snug lit on the wearer.

A further objectY of theV invention is to provide a plastic heltof the type described `having a buckle of simple. and rugged constructionvformed of a similar plastic material which may be inexpensively and rapidly produced and which also partakes of the color selective nature of the rbelt proper.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a buckle for a belt of the type described wherein the belt gripping portions of the buckle elements extend at a slight angle relative to the interengagng portions thereof in order to more nearly conform to the body of the wearer when engaged.

Other objects and advantages of the invention 'will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawings I have shown one embodiment of the invention. In this showing Fig. 1 is a over-all perspective View of a preferred form of belt in accordance with the present invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are fragmentary front elevational views to an enlarged scale of a segment of the belt of Fig. 1 illustrating the coils of the strands thereof in closed and maximum open position, respectively; and

Fig. 4 is a detailed perspective view of the buckle-illustrated in Fig. 1.

Referring now in more detail to the drawings, there is illustrated in Fig. 1 a belt comprising a plurality of substantially parallel strands il), l2, I4, i6 and i8 lying relatively close together and joined at their free ends by mating buckle elements 20 .and 22, respectively, forming a broad band adapted to encircle the trunkor waist portion of the body of the wearer. Each of the strands lll-i8 is preferably formed from a relatively flat narrow strip of a suitable synthetic plastic material, preferably of the thermosetting type, which has been wound in a helical fashion abouta mandrel or the like to form a flexible hollow tube. As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the edges of the adjacent convolutions within each strand are in contact or approximately so after the winding operation and have the general conliguration illustrated in these views at such times as no tension exists within the belt. Although I have referred to thestrands lil-,i8 as being formed from a relatively flat strip of material, it iis also contemplated that the strips may be slightly convex along one or more surfaces .and as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, it will be noted that each convolution is actually provided with a slightly convex outer periphery, as indicated byreference numeral 24.

As indicated above inthe statement of the general objects of the invention, a most important feature of my improved belt resides in the fact that I have substantially eliminated the neces- `sity of providing auxiliary spacer elements .or

l' other interconnecting structure located at a point remote from the belt buckle.

This result is accomplished chiefly by employing a material having such qualities of elasticity and resilience as compared with the width of the coils that a single convolution of one strand cannot become accidentally interlocked or engaged between a pair of adjacent coils of another strand. Thus "by reference to Fig. 3 wherein the strands i0-I8 are shown in the maximum stretched position which they will occupy under any reasonable conditions of normal usage, it will be noted that the width of the strip material in a single coil 26, as designated by the dimension is considerably larger than the space 28 between the edges 3l) and 32 of any two adjacent coils, as indicated by dimension y, so that no individual coil 26 can be forced into a space 23 without exceeding the elastic limits of the belt material.

Referring now particularly to Figs. l and 4 'v there is illustrated a preferred form of buckle which may be employed in conjunction with the flexible strands lll-I8 for securing my improved belt in operative position about the bodyy of the wearer. As shown in these views, the buckle elements 20 and 22 are seen to comprise generally at, rectangular members 34 and 36 provided with mating undercut surfaces 38 and 4U, respectively. The buckle element 22 is provided at its undercut portion 4U with an elongated aperture 42 therein. An elongated angle shaped hook 44 projects from the undercut surface 38 of the buckle element 20 and is adapted to be releasably engaged within the aperture 42 when the belt is in operative position. Each of the buckle elements 20 and 22 is also provided with belt gripping means in the form of a plurality of evenly spaced parallel cylindrical iingers 48, 48, 5D, 52 and 54 and 56, 58, 5D, 62 and 64, respectively, which extend laterally from the at portions 34 and 36 at a slight angle relative to the latter. The ngers 4t-54 and 55-64 are received within the respectively opposite open ends 66-14 and 16-84 of the strands lil- I8 and are adapted to be rml secured therein as by means of a suitable adhesive, or the like. It is to be particularly noted that the slight angle between the fingers 46-54 and the member 34, as well as that between the ngers 59-64 and the member 36, in each case opens inwardly or toward the body of the wearer when the belt is in operative position so as to conform more nearly to the natural body contours.

It will also be particularly noted in Figs. 1 and 4 that the exposed outer surfaces of the members 34 and 36 are provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending grooves 86 and 88, respectively, to provide a plurality of convex ridges 9U and 92 equal in number to the number of strands lil- 48. Thus, as will be noted in Fig. 1, when the opposite ends of the belt are engaged by insertion of the hook 44 within the aperture 42, the exterior of the buckle has the general appearance of forming continuations of the various strands Ill-I8 which thereby simulate substantially continuous closed loops and provide a most desirable, neat appearance.

Although I have illustrated herein a belt having iive separate strands, it will be obvious that any suitable number of such strands may be employed in accordance with the wishes of the manufacturer or retailer. Also, while I have designated a thermosetting plastic material as a preferred material of construction in view of its multiple advantages such as economy, ease of manufacture, and wide selection of colors and color combinations, it will be obvious that other materials possessing the requisite qualities of elasticity and resilience may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

While I have described in the foregoing only a single preferred embodiment of this invention in detail, it is to be understood that numerous changes can be made in size, materials, and arrangement of parts without departing from the principles of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

I claim:

A belt comprising a plurality of substantially parallel strands lying relatively close together to form a broad band adapted to encircle the body of the wearer, each of said strands being formed of relatively flat narrow strip material helically wound to form a hollow tube, the edges of adjacent convolutions of each strand being approximately in contact when the strand is in unstressed condition and the strand possessing a substantial degree of endwise elasticity whereby it is capable of being substantially elongated within the elastic limits of the material, the width of the strip being wider than the spaces between adjacent convolutions of the strand when the latter is stretched substantially to its elastic limit to prevent interlocking of adjacent convolutions of the strip, and a buckle comprising a pair of engaging members, each of said members having projecting rigid parallel ngers inserted in and secured to the ends of the strands, the strands being wholly free of each other between their ends to be held in approximately parallel relationship solely by the stretching of the strands around the body of the wearer.

GEORGE NOEL BOLINGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 506,375 Ross Oct. 10, 1893 1,279,852 Eklund Sept. 24, 1918 1,658,648 Nichols Feb. 7. 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 447,471 Great Britain May 18, 1936 

